Chapter Nine
Nine
Two months later…
Everything moved around Rio while it felt like he was stuck in place.
Loud music boomed through the atmosphere.
Most of the TLM members were packed inside the club, rapping along with the music or trying to get attention from women who were just as thirsty as they were.
Drinks were flowing and women were scantily dressed yet Rio felt out of place.
Like he should’ve been home, caking with the woman who used to have his heart.
Wishful thinking.
When his divorce was finalized, Rio was relieved to break the bonds between him and Cali.
She was no longer his and rightfully so.
She had blessed him with the worst betrayal of his life; shattered his idea of love, making him vow to never marry again.
His days were longer than when he was in the hospital.
Ending his nights in a home that he once shared with Cali had been tortuous.
So, Rio put the house on the market and sold it.
He scored a condo in one of the tallest buildings in St. Parklynn, overlooking the ocean.
Rio was in the stage of rebuilding his new life, but he couldn’t deny how much he missed the old one.
“Aye, send some more bottles this way,” Slime told one of the bartenders.
Cee leaned closer to Rio. “Ol’ girl been eyeing you all night with her thirsty ass.”
Rio looked to his left and saw a pretty girl with faux locs and dramatic eyelashes. He knew by her smile that she was way too young for his liking. Besides, he loved women with short hair.
“I’m straight.”
“Bruh, you’ve been acting pussy with the females,” Slime slurred. “Grab you one of these hoes and get busy.”
Rio snarled. “Shut your drunk ass up. You don't tell me what to do, nigga.”
Slime lifted his hand in surrender. “I’m just saying. I ain't seen you with no broad since you and Cali broke up.”
Unbeknownst to his crew, Rio had dibbled and dabbled in a few women since his divorce.
When he felt that urge, he’d hit one up to release his frustrations.
Once his post-nut clarity arrived, Rio put back on his armor and continued on.
Truth was, he hated himself for missing what he once shared with Cali.
He detested everything about her but still loved her all the same.
The realization of what she’d done was still a pill that he refused to swallow.
Actually, it was stuck in his throat, unwilling to budge because he couldn’t believe she had fucked him over.
“And stop bringing her ass up, too,” Rio warned, finishing the last of his drink. He loathed hearing her name.
“My bad.” Slime shook his head.
“Man fuck all that. I understand why you moving at your pace. That was a long-ass marriage, so I get it.” Cee shrugged.
They didn’t get a morsel of his perspective.
Rio never expressed his feelings to them.
He wouldn’t dare reveal how much he yearned to feel Cali’s body next to his when he laid down.
He missed sneaking up on her when she was lying about her whereabouts.
Cali typically was at the mall shopping when he did catch her.
He never thought her turning off her location was because she was fucking another man.
“Y’all need to be concerned about finding that nigga,” Rio griped.
Braye was still in the wind with law enforcement and TLM on the hunt for him. Noble had called his connect to locate him as well. The word had spread about the ransom on his head. They had been painfully waiting for the last few months on some kind of sign, but nothing surfaced.
“Noble’s people hit me up earlier. Just waiting on confirmation,” Slime told him.
Rio nodded and stood. He exited the section and walked over to the bar. Needing some air from his people, he took a seat and ordered a shot of Crown.
A powdery scent made him turn toward his left.
A woman stood next to him, trying to gain the bartender’s attention.
Her hair was in a pin-curled pixie cut, and her face resembled an angel.
Those bright brown eyes were lined with flirty lashes.
High cheekbones coupled with heart-shaped lips and a dimpled chin showcase celestial features.
She turned to him, wearing narrowed eyes with a smile tugging on her lips. “Rio, right?”
Not recognizing her, he asked, “Who you?”
“Oh, no, I’m not on that.” She quickly picked up on his paranoia. “I just remembered you were in the hospital fighting an injury. I actually came up there once to do your wife’s hair. I’m Rozalin.” She extended her hand.
Slowly, Rio grabbed her hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you have recovered.” She gave him a once over. “Wow, Cali had been praying so hard for your recovery. I’m happy to see you healthy.”
The bitch caused it, so her prayers mean nothing.
Rio kept that thought to himself as the bartender sat his glass in front of him.
“Aye, she’s trying to order,” he told the bartender.
Rozalin ordered a vodka cranberry while Rio sipped on his beverage. When the bartender walked away, she returned her attention back to him.
“So, how has the recovery been?”
He smirked at her. “You don't care about that shit.”
Her pretty eyes bucked before she tittered. “Actually, I do. If you could’ve seen your condition, you would be amazed by how you're sitting here without any assistance. You have favor, Rio.”
He didn’t feel that way. Favor came with the wife. His life had been spared but his wife was gone. Now that he had gotten rid of Cali, he was certain that blessing from God ended.
“You a hairstylist?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I own Glamour Avenue Salon on Maple Drive.”
“That’s what’s up.”
“Yeah.” She beamed. “I’ve been doing your wife’s hair for years. Although, I haven’t seen much of her lately.”
“Can you do me a favor?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Please stop calling her my wife. I’m not married to her anymore.”
Rozalin’s eyes expanded, stunned by the news. “Oh, my God. I had no clue. When did that happen?”
“A couple months ago.” He finished his drink.
“Wow, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Don't be sorry. That shit was for the better.”
Before Rozalin could respond, Rio felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and noticed Cee standing behind him.
“Aye, I just got word about ol’ boy.”
Rio quickly turned toward him. “Where at?”
“Noble’s boy said he’s in Miami. There was a tip from a female that he’s at her house.”
For the first time in months, Rio smiled. He hadn’t gotten news that good ever since Douglas paid the debt for Cali’s bounty.
“Go get that nigga.”
“We already on it. I’ma hit you when we touch down.”
Rio nodded and turned back to Rozalin, who finally had her drink in her hand.
“So, you're single?” she asked, flashing him with a flirty smirk. “That’s interesting.”
“I am.” He licked his lips, undressing her with his eyes. “Why? You trying to see about that?”
“Maybe.”
He didn’t expect for her to flirt with him, considering that she was Cali’s hairstylist. Nevertheless, he didn’t give a fuck about her title. He would never consider Cali’s feelings ever again.
“I’m not saying all that.” She playfully rolled her eyes.
He leaned in closer, watching her breathing hike a bit. “Then what you saying, Rozalin?”
This shit was too easy for Rio. Flirting with women was an art that he hadn’t lost.
“I was just making an observation. That’s all.”
He nodded, pulling out his phone. “Well, while you're thinking about that observation, put your number in my phone.”
Without hesitation, she saved her number and made sure to call herself so she could have his.
“A’ight, Rozalin. I’ma holla at you.” He winked at her.
She grinned, showcasing a pretty set of teeth. “I look forward to it.”
Rio threw a bill on the bar, paying for both of their drinks. He then made his way out the club, hoping Cee’s tip on Braye was valid.
Braye looked out of the blinds for the umpteenth time that morning.
Paranoia had taken over his mental. The only thoughts that consumed his mind were laying low and making sure the police hadn’t secured his location.
After the shooting at the park, Braye fled to Miami, hoping to escape the law.
He hooked up with a girl from his past and decided to lay low at her apartment.
Hidden in the Overtown neighborhood in Miami, Braye plopped down on the couch and rubbed his hands over his face.
Stress had made a home inside his body, prompting his skin to break out in hives throughout the day.
Regret had made its way in his system, provoking him to think of the terrible choices he’d made.
Braye should’ve walked away from Cali the first time she expressed not wanting to leave her husband, but he held onto the love he thought was reciprocated.
He’d envisioned their life together, only for her to turn on him.
When Cali expressed not wanting to be with her husband, Braye concocted a plan to eliminate him for good.
He assumed Rio would die and she would run to his arms for support.
Thinking back, he felt stupid since none of his plans worked out.
Cali had shitted on him, making him feel less than a man.
Unfortunately, Braye couldn’t take his ego being bruised so he acted out.
“Can you clean this shit up?” Ariana fussed, picking up a sock from the carpet.
Braye sighed, growing tired of her complaining ass.
When he first arrived, she had been ecstatic with his presence.
She cooked and catered to him like a king.
Over the months, she had grown increasingly annoying.
She complained about everything from his clothes in the hamper, the weed he’d spilled on the coffee table, and the mess he’d made in the kitchen.
Ariana had become such a bitch that Braye plotted his exit.
“That ain't even my sock. That’s your fucking kid’s sock,” he argued.
She exhaled, rolling her eyes. “Did your cousin send you that money yet?”